It's Hard To Love You
by Crazygirla101
Summary: Ichigo is fired, and when she learns the truth behind it she discovers something she never knew before. What's Ryou hiding?
1. Chapter 1 Your Fired

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMM. **

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"Ichigo, I told you, that you had to stop being late," Ryou said.

"I know, but I had to stay back for detention and-"

"Stop," he interrupted.

"Ichigo, you've been late everyday this month," he said. After the mew mew project finished the girls had kept their jobs.

"Not only that but you've been slacking a lot, too. You don't seem to understand that this is a part-time job. I've been letting you off because of the project, but I can't anymore, Ichigo." he said.

"But, that's because I've been-"

"I don't care." he said, "Let me make this clear. Ichigo, your fired."

"WHAT?!" all the girls screamed in unison.

"You can't fire Ichigo!" Purin yelled, "She's our leader!"

"Project ended, Purin. She isn't your leader."

"Wait," Mint said, "Don't you love her?"

"What?!"

"If Ichigo quits then I quit," Zakuro stated.

"Yeah! Me too!" Purin said.

"I see no point in working if Zakuro isn't here!" Mint added.

"I want to work with my friends," Retasu said.

"HAH! So there you have it, Shirogane!" Ichigo said, "You can't fire me!"

"Fine. You're all fired," Ryou said, "I have no need for incompetent workers."

"Ryou!" said Keiichiro, "you can't do this."

"Yes I can and I will."

"But-"

"No buts, Keiichiro. If they don't want to work here, why should they?" Ryou interrupted.

_"Ryou, why are you doing this?" Keiichiro thought, "Not only do you still love Ichigo, but these girls have become your friends. I know you care about them." _

Meaningless thoughts and a wasted effort by the girls. The cafe' closed early that day. After the girls left, Ryou attended to all the current customers and closed the cafe' when they left. A day later all the girls saw in the newspaper want-ads for maids for Cafe' Mew Mew.

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**Another spur of the moment story, but I think I like this one better. **

**Please review. I like hearing what people think about my stories.**


	2. Chapter 2 No Interfering

**Disclaimer: Don't own TMM.**

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Days went by, none of the girls even got close to the cafe'. They missed working there together. They grew sadder as they missed the boys, but the one who missed them the most was the one and only Ichigo.

As she laid there on her bed, after school, the time she'd normally be working in the cafe', she thought of the arrogant, mean blond ex-boss. She had been thinking a lot about him lately. Granted, it was mainly bad things, but still she constantly thought of him. Not of her boyfriend. Not of her friends. Just about him.

"Stupid Shirogane, How could he fire me?! Stupid!" she shouted. Tears beginning to well up in her eyes, for what seemed to be the millionth time this week.

_"I miss him," she thought, "Why do I miss him?"_

* * *

In the cafe'...

"Ryou, it's been a week," Keiichiro said.

"And?" Ryou asked.

"Are you ready to tell me why you fired them?"

"Hey, if they don't want to work, then that's their problem. I have a cafe' to run here," Ryou said. Although in reality, he knew the real reason for firing Ichigo. In the end he got tired of his one-sided love. _"You don't understand, Keiichiro. I love her so much. I can't keep going like this; I have to stop loving her. And I'm sure that having her working for me, down stairs every day, is not going to help. She's so close, but too far away. I can't take it anymore. I love her. I know she doesn't feel the same. I know I have to give up," he thought._

"...Well, whenever your ready, you tell me," Keiichiro said.

"Whatever," Ryou responded as he left to his room. _"But I never thought it be this hard, not seeing her," he thought, "Why does it hurt so much?"_

As he entered his room, closing the door behind himself, he immediately threw himself on the bed. Where he quickly fell into the depths of his dreams, in which his longing for his strawberry could be at end. Even if it wasn't real, they still gave him a bit of comfort.

* * *

At that same time the four girls had met.

Zakuro said, "It might be something that's wrong with Ryou, I mean he just fired all of us."

"That's true," Mint said, "Ryou is not that mean. There has to be a good reason for this."

"But what could possibly be bothering Ryou now?" Retasu asked.

"Wasn't his only problem the aliens?" Purin asked.

"No, Purin, that wasn't his ONLY problem. That was something he had to do," Zakuro responded.

"What?" Purin asked.

"We'll explain it another time," said Retasu.

"Right now we need a plan. I mean have you seen how depressed Ichigo has been."

"Mint's right. What'll we do?" Retasu said.

"Nothing," Zakuro said.

"What?" The girls said in unison.

"Wait, Zakuro, didn't you ask us to come so we can help?" Mint said.

"Look, Ryou fired Ichigo. Not us. Whatever is going on, Ichigo is the only one who can fix it. We can give her support, but that's all," Zakuro said, "I called you all here to tell you not to do something stupid. Don't get in between them, that'll just create more problems."

"Zakuro, do you know something?" Mint asked carefully.

"...I think you'll all know soon enough," Zakuro said. She was the only one of the girls who had noticed Ryou's feelings for Ichigo.

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**Ok this chapter is kinda crap. So... I'll make the next one better... but I'll probably only write it if you nice people review! **

**So please REVIEW!!**


	3. Chapter 3 Love Tore Us Apart

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMM or Fall Out Boy.**

**Song: Love Will Tear Us Apart **

**By: Fall Out Boy**

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_When routine bites hard and ambitions are low _

_And resentment rides high but emotions won't go_

_And we're changing our ways taking different roads_

As Ryou walked down the street in his aimless walk, his eyes were searching for something, someone. Every red thing called him. But nothing attracted him. His ipod on, blasting music to his ears.

All of the sudden Ms. Strawberry appears coming out of a shop. He froze, a strong feeling of happiness coerced through his body. She looked around and saw him standing there, not moving. In the other side of the street. She ran.

_Love, love will tear us apart again_

_Love, love will tear us apart again_

_Love, love will tear us apart again_

_Love, love will tear us apart again_

He looked at her. "Ryou," she said, for the first time calling his name.

"I-Ichigo," he stammered.

_Love, love will tear us apart again_

_Love, love will tear us apart again_

_Love, love will tear us apart again_

"Ryou, I-"

"Ichigo!" Masaya interrupted her. They both turned to him. Ryou, seeing him, turned around and started to leave. His senses returning to his body. "Wait!" Ichigo said. He couldn't hear her, the music was too loud, and he kept walking. She ran to him, grabbing his arm. This action shocking both him and her. He removed one of his earphones.

"What?" he said coldly.

"Ryou, I-I wan-"

"Hey," he interrupted, "your boyfriend is waiting."

_And love, love will tear us apart again_

_Love, love will tear us apart again_

_And love, love will tear us apart again_

_Love, love will tear us apart again_

She looked at him. "Is that really what you want to say to me?"

"What would you want me to say?"

"Why did you fire me?" she demanded.

"Ichigo, you love Aoyama, don't you?" he asked.

"Yes, of course I do," she responded, "What's that got to do with anything?"

"You want the truth right?"

"Yeah, I do," she said.

"Then that has a lot to do with it," Ryou said. _"What am I saying? I've lost control of my mouth..." he thought._

"What?"

"Ichigo, I love you. I can't take seeing you run off with another guy," he said. _"What am I saying? Shut up! Stop talking!" he thought, "what the heel is wrong with me?"_

"I can't see you with out wanting to touch you and kiss you. I'm sick of not being able to be with you. I love seeing you everyday, but it's beginning to hurt too much," Ryou said, "I hate not being able to love you. Its way too much, Ichigo. I just can't take it anymore. I know it was selfish of me to fire you, but seeing you everyday... as much as I love it, I can't take it. Thinking of you being with another guy, it's too much. Seeing you with him is even worse. So, Ichigo, I'm sorry. I'm going to go now."

And as he walked away he said, "Goodbye, Strawberry." She watched him. Tears forming in her eyes. Pain surging within both of them.

_"Ryou..." she thought._

_Love, love will tear us apart again_

_Love, love will tear us apart again_

_Love, love will tear us apart again_

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**Sorry for the really late update, this chapter was actually finished a while ago, but a lot of things have happened and I haven't had the chance to type it out. So I'm really sorry for making you all wait. **

**And sorry for making this a songfic chapter, but I was listening to my ipod and the song seemed to go well with the chapter. **

**I also seemed to have gotten writer's block for my other story **_**"I Like You"**_** If any of you are or have read that story(and I encourage you to if you haven't) Could you help me out and give me some ideas as to what I can make Minto do? Thank you all very much!!!**

**For those of you who have read my story, I want to say thank you very much.**

**And for those who have read and reviewed, you not only get a big thanks but a cookie, too. **

**Please everyone Review!!!!!! I would very much like to hear everyone's opinion. I appreciate criticism, so if you have anything to say to help me with my writing then please don't hesitate to tell me.**


	4. Chapter 4 Love You

**Ok, Hate me if you want. for updating so freaking late, well you know what I do have a very good excuse. To be blunt, I couldn't write. Not at all. Why? I have this friend, she was suppose to be a good friend, so I asked her to read some of another story I wasn't writing for well because I wanted to, anyways, after she said it she told she didn't like it. Actually she said it "totally sucks" and asked me who wrote it. Yes, she's evil and although afterward I dismissed her out of my life, I still couldn't write. Everything I wrote just seemed horrible. Her words really affected me, but after a lot of thought I decided to at least finish the stories I had already started. After. This chapter therefor is the last of the story and once I find a way to finish the other I probably won't ever write stories again. I ask everyone to forgive me and my horrible writing. I obviously "have no idea what" I'm doing. Yes, she said that too. That is why I apologize for ever posting up a story and will not do so again. Thank you for your time. **

**Disclaimer: If owned TMM I would most likely mess it up with my horrible writing.**

**&**

Weeks and days passed. Nothing changed.

Ichigo was left alone to try and figure out what her heart was trying to tell her. What the words that came from the mouth of the handsome blue-eyed boy meant. And for this she had needed time. As she laid on her bed she remembered what had happened after the blond boy left.

_--Flash Back--_

_"Mamomiya-san," said Masaya as he saw her walking towards him, "What's wrong? What happened? Why are you crying?"_

_She looked at him. "Aoyama-kun... we need to talk."_

_As they walked towards the park she tried to un-jumble her thoughts and think straight. Unfortunately it didn't help. The more she thought about what had happened the more she cried. Different feelings formed within her. Sadness, anger, and... Happiness. Something she did not expect. _

_They entered the park and she finally began to try to explain._

_"Aoyama-kun," she said, while sitting on a bench, "I-my head is really messed up."_

_"Well maybe if you talk about it, you'll feel better."_

_She nodded. "Aoyama-kun, I think, I don't know, but lately I've been thinking about Ryou a lot," she said._

_He looked at her a little shocked and said, "Ok."_

_She knew that she could tell Masaya anything. He would always listen and try to help. "I'm sorry," she said, "but I think-"_

_"We need a break," he interrupted._

_She looked away from him. The words stinging her heart. "I understand. I know you need time to think this through," he said calmly, "but, Ichigo, no matter what happens, let's always be friends, ok?"_

_She smiled and said, "Thank you." She then got up and walked home._

_--End Flash Back--_

_"It's strange," she thought, "It hurts me more not to able to see Shirogane then Aoyama-kun. Why?"_

She starred at the ceiling of her room, something she seemed to be doing a lot lately.

"Ryou," she said.

"THAT'S IT!" she yelled, "I can't take this anymore! I'm going to see him!" She then got up and ran out of her room.

When she reached the cafe' she pushed the doors open and saw Keiichiro.

"Keiichiro! Where is he?" she said.

The surprised Keiichiro answered, "In his room."

She ran up the stairs and slammed the door of his room open. And there she saw him. A startled Ryou sitting on his bed.

"Ry-"

"Ichigo?!" He interrupted her, "What are you doing here?"

"And why shouldn't I be here?"

"I don't know, maybe because it's my room..."

"WHATEVER! Shirogane that's not what I came here for-"

"Ichigo I think-" He interrupted.

SHUT UP!" she interrupted, "Just shut up, Shirogane! I didn't come here to talk! I came here to have you listen! Now your going to listen, whether you want to or not!"

"...ok," said the dumbstruck Ryou.

"Ryou! I lied. I hate you. I'm not in love with Masaya. I'm in love with you," she yelled. _"Wow! Somehow I feel much better getting that out," she thought._

"What?" Ryou said, "You're what?"

"I'm in love with you, Ryou. I hate not seeing you everyday. I hate not being with you, too!"

"..Strawberry..." Ryou said. _"I'm so shocked I don't even know how to feel," he thought._

She looked at him. "Ryou?"

"I don't believe this..." he said. Thinking that he didn't believe her feelings for him to be true, she kissed him. Lovingly. As if trying to show him her feelings with this type of physical contact, but unfortunately for her, the Ryou who had kept his feelings bottled up, wasn't about to stop with just a kiss. Of course she didn't resist. As he passionately held her and kissed her and loved her. Making sure not a bit of her went untouched. Making sure she was completely his with every kiss. They made love.

Light spread within the room. She woke up and looked at him. At his beautiful sleeping face. His body lying beside her. His arms around her. She smiled and kissed the man she loved. He woke up and smiled innocently.

"Ichigo, I love you."

She smiled, "I love you, too."

And there lays the end of the beginning of the love story between the two. May their love flourish as their hearts entwine and their bodies unite. To be one in love is truly a blessing and it is my hope that we all have the opportunity to feel what true love is.

_Fin._


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